Page 4

After paying for the crackers, I slide from my stool and scan the restaurant for Sabina. Leaving without saying goodbye isn't my style, but when I spot her, she's busy with a customer and looking infinitely more stressed than before. All I manage is a quick wave, which she returns with that same dazzling white smile.

Once outside, I send a quick update to Raven about the change of plans, and she responds with the thumbs-up emoji, making me smile.

For a woman of few words, she sometimes says so much.

It's been a while since I've been to Tabitha's, so I settle in for the walk rather than taking a cab. The night sky is surprisingly clear, and I tell myself that the glittering lights from planes above me are stars coming out for the first time in months. A warm wind drifts past and catches at the edge of my shirt, and several drunk people rush past me with peals of laughter as they head to their next stop.

Sometimes it's too easy to forget how normal the world is. Life inside the Suit is a constant series of alarm bells. Out here, with no responsibility and just a date to attend to, I can almost pretend I'm just a normal guy.

My phone buzzes again when I'm two blocks from Tabitha's.

[Hailey] Sorry, I don't think this is going to work out. I won't be there. Good luck.

And just like a normal guy, I've been jerked around and ditched before the date can even start. Stopping at a set of traffic lights, I stare down at the text while an uncomfortable knot twists just underneath my ribs.

Is this a sign?

No dating for me.

I should have known something was up after the first text, but it's not in my nature to be suspicious. Maybe a seasoned dater would have recognized the signs earlier.

I grunt softly and turn my face skyward. Several fake stars wink down at me and the street grows quiet as the late hour sends all the crowds home or into the nearby bars. I'm not in the mood to drink anymore, but I am starving.

Maybe this is a sign.

I know of one place to eat that might still be open, and my heart lifts slightly.

Is this… fate?

Leaving me in the middle of the street, hungry and stood up while knowing that the one place that could feed me not only has great food but also the woman I've been crushing on for months?

"Shit," I murmur under my breath. "I'm so stupid."

Fate was telling me from the very beginning that the restaurant was where I should be, and I ignored it.

Asking couldn't hurt. Sabina is a beautiful, sweet woman who always seems to know what she wants. The worst she can say is no, and then things will go back to normal.

I hope.

Sucking in a deep breath, I turn on my heel and walk back the way I came at a much faster pace than before. It's so late now that DeMarco's might be closed by the time I get there. If that's the case, I'll try again tomorrow.

When I'm a block away, I brake into a jog and dart across the street, then down the sidewalk and around the corner. Unfortunately, the glowing sign above DeMarco's sits in dark silence, with the blinds drawn tight across the windows and the closed sign hanging in front of the door.

Shit. I'm too late.

Tomorrow.

I'll ask her tomorrow.

As I settle on that, a short, sharp squeak catches my attention. It's followed by a squeal that makes my heart leap up in my chest.

An injured animal? It's not uncommon for foxes to wander into this part of the city looking for food, or stray dogs to loiter around seeking scraps. The squeal comes again and heat flushes across my shoulders from hearing such a distressed sound.

I can't leave the poor thing if it's in pain.

Following the sound, I walk around the edge of the building and into the alley parallel to the restaurant and immediately freeze in place.

Another squeal rises from the source, but it's not an animal caught in the trash bins or even an over-excited fox.